A Wayne County man drowned on Saturday in western North Carolina while saving a drowning family member.
It happened around 5:20pm Saturday in the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers said witnesses reporting seeing Bulmaro Morales of Dudley jump in the river to saving a child from drowning. Rangers arrived to find the child safe on the shore but Morales had not resurfaced.
First responders, park rangers and witnesses began searching the river for the missing 32 year-old man. His body was recovered a short time later in about 10 feet of water. Attempts to save his life were not successful.
